Extra bases

• Jose Veras had a long side session with bullpen coach Lester Strode on Tuesday as the Cubs try to get the right-hander back on track to resume his role as the closer.

"He needs to pitch," manager Rick Renteria said of Veras. "He wants to get back out there on the hill and throw. We'll do everything we can to get him some work."

One of the problems with Veras may be that he isn't warming up well, which is why Strode was working with the right-hander.

"I'm sure we haven't seen the very best of him," Renteria said of Veras. "We do want to get him back and we'll do everything we can to put him in the game and get him to throw."

• Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein supported Renteria's decision to call a team meeting after last Friday's game.

"It's a matter of striking the right balance between keeping an even keel and also being attentive when our standards slip in certain areas," Epstein said. "It's always a tricky balance, but Ricky has a good feel for the pulse of the team and isn't afraid to address things as they come up."

Epstein and Renteria know they have to be careful as to when they time the sessions.

"You can't call meetings after every frustrating game or series," Epstein said. "It's a matter of striking the right balance."

• Cubs prospect Jorge Soler, sidelined with a sore right hamstring, is rehabbing at the team's complex in Mesa, Ariz., and doing some baseball activities. However, Soler is not ready to play in games in extended spring training. Soler appeared in one game for Double-A Tennessee and hit a double, then had to leave the game because of the hamstring injury.

The Cubs will take their time to avoid having Soler aggravate the injury.